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**U.S. Department of Justice**        Office of Community Oriented Policing Services            145 N Street, N.E.       Washington, DC 20530      www.cops.usdoj.gov×         Menu         - Home
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 December 2020 | Volume 13 | Issue 12

    Through the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center(CRI-TAC), the National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA)    has assisted in monitoring the impacts of COVID-19 on the law enforcement    profession. Through this effort and in working with sheriffs across the    United States, the NSA has taken an active role in listening to    difficulties, sharing information and resources, and providing valuable    insights to the field at large in working to face the unique challenges    brought about by the pandemic. Of critical note is the impact of COVID-19    on correctional facilities. There are three phases a jail will inevitably    need to address when facing the possibility of a pandemic: (1) preparation,    (2) prevention, and (3) management.

    In the preparation phase, the facility should build or strengthen    relationships with public health officials in its community. If possible,    the facility should consult a medical expert in epidemiology or infectious    diseases with correctional experience. The facility should also begin to    identify areas that can be used for isolation or quarantine, considering    whether single-cell isolation or quarantine is possible or if cohort    housing will be necessary. In addition, leadership needs to ensure that    staffing capabilities are sustainable or, if not, that there is a plan in    place to manage personnel shortages. Furthermore, take inventory of both    cleaning and medical supplies as well as personal protective equipment    (PPE), and identify multiple sources for replenishing them as the need    arises.

    Sheriff Nick Cocchi of the            Hampden County (Massachusetts) Sheriff’s Department        (HCSD) went in-house for his agency’s PPE needs.    Incarcerated individuals in the vocational program of York Street    Industries, the corrections industry of the HCSD, shifted their focus from uniforms and upholstery to face masks, shields, and medical gowns to help ensure    proper PPE is available.

    During the prevention phase, the focus is on stemming the spread of the    disease inside the facility. At the most basic level, this means an    expanded cleaning schedule with frequent cleaning of surfaces and objects    that are touched often while ensuring incarcerated individuals and staff    have access to necessary hygiene supplies such as soap and water or hand    sanitizer. Facilities may also implement simple screening procedures for    new intakes, staff, and visitors that include both a verbal screening and    temperature check. If possible, consider limiting or temporarily halting    nonmedical transfers in and out of the facility and encourage noncontact or    telephonic options for visitations, unless in-person visits are legally    required. Facilities should also consider temporary suspension of any work    release programs that require individuals (both incarcerated individuals    and staff) to move in and out of the facility frequently.

Wood County (Ohio) Sheriff    Mark Wasylyshyn began    providing free video visitation options because he understood the value visitation can have to the morale and well-being of incarcerated individuals.

    Perhaps the most difficult step to navigate during prevention for many    facilities has been testing—both in acquiring tests and in determining    proper testing procedures. Tests for the virus, rather than for the    antibody, should be conducted when possible, because viral tests can    diagnose a current infection while antibody testing detects only past    infection. It will be important to determine testing purpose—who is getting    tested and why. Ideally, everyone should be tested, but this precaution    must often be balanced against practical resource constraints, which may    vary from one facility to another. For example, is everyone in the facility    getting tested? If so, how often will the tests occur? Are only those with    known or suspected exposure getting tested? Are those without a known or    suspected exposure but coming into the facility from a community with    moderate or high levels of infection being tested? These questions should    be taken into consideration while also taking access to tests into account.

        Cook County (Illinois) Sheriff        Tom Dart    credits “aggressive testing” as the reason that the virus hasn’t spread as rapidly in his facilities as it has in others across the country.

    If discovered that the virus has entered the facility, management to    mitigate spread is critical. Steps taken during this phase can and should    include suspension of all nonmedical transfers both in and out of the    facility, continued screening procedures when planning the intake or    release of incarcerated individuals, and continued coordination with public    health officials to help manage the spread of the virus. Staff within the    facility should ensure that proper PPE is being worn correctly and in    adherence with established guidelines from the medical community. Clear    communication from leadership to both staff and incarcerated individuals    about the status of the virus within the facility is key. “Town hall” style    meetings have been successful at accomplishing wide dissemination of    information while also allowing questions to be asked and answered in a    transparent manner.
Richmond City (Virginia) SheriffAntoinette Irving invited Dr. Danny Avula, Director of      the Richmond City Health Department    and Henrico County Health Department, to her jail, and both spent an hour answering questions from the inmates. The town hall was livestreamed on the Richmond City Health District’s Facebook page.
    At this point, most facilities will determine a need to either isolate or    quarantine individuals. Isolation separates symptomatic individuals from    the rest of the population and should begin immediately at the appearance    of symptoms. The length of isolation will vary, and facilities should    consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (    CDC) guidelines     for more information. Quarantine, on the other hand, is for asymptomatic    individuals—both staff and incarcerated individuals—who have been or are in    close contact with known or suspected cases of the disease.    This should occur once the contact has been identified and should continue in accordance with CDC guidelines.    

Madison County (Alabama) Sheriff Kevin Turner has            attributed his jail’s lack of COVID-19 cases to the quarantine process        in place at the facility.

    Although presented as three discrete phases, this cycle of preparation,    prevention, and management should be a continuous process for as long as    COVID-19 remains a threat to the health and safety of individuals living or    working in correctional facilities. If your organization is interested in    receiving technical assistance on corrections or jail operations or other    critical need areas, please reach out to the CRI-TAC.
    Learn More
    To learn more about the CRI-TAC, download a brochure, or request assistance    for your agency, visit    the CRI-TAC website.

    Chelsea Rider, Communications and Marketing Specialist        National Sheriffs’ Association

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The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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